~This content was originally published January 13, 2026 on my LinkedIn Newsletter, Connecting the Dots. Subscribe here.
As the year begins, it’s the perfect time to think about resilience, anticipating what’s ahead. New research* shows that 85% of us expect to encounter significant barriers in our path, but fascinatingly 84% of us are also optimistic, and 75% of us believe we can shape a better future. We are a realistic but hopeful bunch, apparently.
In addition to considering resilience, I’ve also been thinking deeply about our connections with others. There is a strong link between the two. In fact, our community, our people, and our relationships may be among the most important factors in raising our resilience.
Resilience is about being aware of what’s going on around us, making sense of it, and then having the wherewithal to respond and adapt. And building resilience ensures we won’t just bounce back, but we’ll be able to bounce forward (or at least avoid bouncing around!). Here’s why connections with our people matter most for resilience.
Our People Help Us Feel Seen
One of the primary aspects of mental health is feeling seen and known. Our people validate us, hear us, recognize who we are, and appreciate us in spite of our flaws. When we have better mental health based on this validation, we can solve problems and respond in the face of challenges. We have more to draw on in terms of our own resources, and we can be more resilient.
Our People Help Us Get Better
One of the best things about a good friend is that they’ll give you feedback and help you improve. Good friends tell us when we have spinach in our teeth. They understand the direction we want to go and know us at our best. As a result, they can give us feedback, ideas, and constructive suggestions for how we can do better. And if we’re always improving with the support of people who care, we can respond more successfully when things are tough or difficult. We can be more resilient.
Our People Offer Support
Great relationships provide us with all kinds of support. None of us is as smart as all of us, so when we’re facing something tricky, friends can offer their time, their thinking, their perspectives, and their effort to help us muscle through. As a result, we can be more resilient.
Our People Offer Presence and Continuity
In a distracted and lonely world, sometimes we may feel like we’re going it alone. This sense of isolation can get in the way of feeling resourceful or capable. But friends can be present and offer continuity. Cool studies** have demonstrated that when we feel that we can rely on friends, it enhances self-esteem and reduces loneliness. When the world feels unpredictable or ambiguous, friends are a constant. They can be a touchstone amidst the melee. This stability gives us a strong foundation, so we can be more resilient.
Our People Need Us
Sometimes when we’re seeking greater happiness, we focus on how to get it. But when we focus on others, more than ourselves, we have a greater likelihood of experiencing positive emotions. Joy comes less from focusing on how to get it, but on what we give. We need our friends, and they also need us. We have the opportunity to tune in, offer support, empathize, and expand our focus on others. We feel more fulfilled, capable, and strong when we matter to others, and this helps us to be more personally resilient.
What to do? Focus on connections, build relationships, and remind yourself how you matter to others. Your community and your people will help you not only prepare for the road ahead, but respond with terrific resilience for a bright future.
*Research shows that 85% of us see significant barriers ahead, but 84% of us are also optimistic, and 75% of us believe we can shape a better future, according to the American Psychological Association (APA),
**Studies have demonstrated that when we feel we can rely on friends, it contributes to our self-esteem and reduced loneliness, as published in Emerging Adulthood.
Photo Credit: Jason Thompson via Unsplash.
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